


The morning after

by oreob1tch



Series: Against all odds [1]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, mention of explicit content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2020-06-26 02:38:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19758877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oreob1tch/pseuds/oreob1tch
Summary: No matter how often he tells himself that fate means nothing to him, it always brings him back to the same house, same door, same pair of arms.





	The morning after

**Author's Note:**

> please don't hate me.  
> might have a part 2 if i feel like torturing myself again.  
> not proof read and english is not my first language

The body pressed against his chest is warm and soft and tiny compared to him. Yunho is still half in the dreamland and he smiles contently, holding the body a little tighter. In the dreamland, he's holding the man he loves, even though he's a bit shorter than he remembers him to be, even though his hair smells different, a little fruity, while he's used to the minty scent that his shampoo has. Yunho would know because sometimes he uses it himself without his beloved knowing.

The other body snuggles back into him and he sighs, pressing a kiss into the crown of the other one's head and the man giggles. Yunho freezes and Dream Seonghwa suddenly dissolves like a sugar cube in hot tea. He opens his eyes to see a sea of red hair instead of the blonde he was expecting. He's not home, he notices when he strains his neck enough to look around the room. He's not home and the body he's holding so close to his chest is definitely not the man he's so desperately in love with.

He suddenly remembers it all, Seonghwa went out on a date with someone who wasn't Yunho and he got upset, as he often does when his best friend totally ignores his feelings, and went to out himself to get drunk. He met Hongjoong, the man in whose bed he's in right now, and they hooked up because Yunho needed to forget about his unrequited love for his older roommate and best friend of several years. Did it work? Absolutely not, but something about the sex with Hongjoong was so good that he stayed for another round and then fell asleep with the man pressed to his sweat covered body. Now, there's this weird feeling in his stomach, not necessarily a bad one, just different.

"You're already up, I see," Hongjoong yawns and pulls away from Yunho to stretch out. He groans as he spreads on the bed like a starfish and Yunho's breatch hitches when he looks at his chest and sees the mark on Hongjoong's ribs, right under his heart. Yunho has seen this particular mark many times. On his own body.

His head spins and he moves away from the shorter man in panic. He was too drunk to previous night to notice and the fact that he's with his _soulmate_ right now doesn't sit well with him. Hongjoong looks at him, visibly confused. "Is everything okay?"

Yunho wordlessly points at his chest and Hongjoong looks down at it, still as confused. "Yeah? I mean...we all have soulmate marks, man. I just haven't found mine."

"I beg to differ," Yunho finally speaks up and kicks the blanket off his legs to show the same mark Hongjoong has above his left knee. His chest hurts in a way that makes him nauseous and he feels like he has to get out, as soon as possible. When he looks up from his knee, Hongjoong is smiling at him, all teeth and his nose scrunched up, he looks so happy and Yunho hates it, hates to be the one who breaks his heart but he feels nothing for him, his heart belongs to Seonghwa and despite everything, he's sure that one day, he will be with the man he loves no matter who is soulmate because to Yunho, this shit doesn't matter. He doesn't want to date someone just because _fate_ decided that for him. He wants to be with the person he loves, he wants, _he chose._

And even though Hongjoong seems like a nice guy and he is a miracle in bed, Yunho feels nothing for him and it would only lead to heartbreak. "Maybe we're platonic soulmates?" he says, looking anywhere but at the older man's face. "Listen, I think you're really nice and all, but I love someone else and it wouldn't be fair to leave everything behind for something like this."

Hongjoong says nothing. Then Yunho feels the mattress rise as the other man gets up. "I'm going to make breakfast. You're welcomed to stay but I won't hold you back if you want to go home to your boyfriend."

Yunho doesn't mention that Seonghwa is not, in fact, his boyfriend, and reaches for his boxers that are on the floor. "I'll stay." It might be a little selfish of him, especially after he said what he said but he doesn't want to leave Hongjoong just yet. Maybe they really are platonic soulmates, it might be rare but not completely unheard of. And it's the only explanation Yunho has for wanting to stay. Or maybe he's just really hungry.

"You didn't come home last night," Seonghwa points out when Yunho comes out of the bathroom. He just finished his work out and his body feels just the right amount of tired. The hot water relaxed his muscles and he feels almost high.

He looks at the older that is sitting on the couch, eating ice cream from his fancy little cup that he bought specifically for ice cream and that only. He looks as beautiful as ever, with his hair a mess, cheeks a little red from the heat that their shared apartment is almost drowning in, his skin glowing. The sun is setting and Yunho can see he last sunrays reflecting on his best friend's skin. He looks breathtaking, but then again, he always does.

"And you did?"

"I came home like an hour after I left. He never showed up," Seonghwa shrugs. "Doesn't bother me, though." Yunho is secretly glad it didn't work out but he's also happy that Seonghwa isn't sad.

"If you called me, I would've come home."

"I know you would," the older places the cup on the coffee table and stretches his legs. "That's why I didn't. You should also have some fun on your own." he pats the spot beside him and Yunho immediately sits down, thighs touching his best friend's. "Tell me, was he cute?"

"Very," Yunho says without skipping a beat. There's no doubt that Hongjoong is cute. And that has nothing to do with this whole soulmate thing, everyone can see that the short man is absolutely adorable.

"Are you going to see him ever again?" Seonghwa leans agains Yunho's shoulder, hair tickling the taller man's cheek.

"Probably not."

****

It takes Yunho exactly three days before he's standing in front of the house, ringing the bell nervously. He doesn't know why he's here or what exactly he thinks that is going to happen but he was in the neighborhood and thought that it would be a good idea to say hi. They're soulmates after all and he promised that they could stay friends.

Hongjoong opens almost immediately and Yunho almost wheezes when he sees what the man is wearing. On one hand, he gets it, the heat is awful lately and he himself wants to walk around naked 99% of the time. On the other hand, it looks like Hongjoong is dressed like that for someone and that thought makes Yunho strangely uncomfortable. "Oh..hi, Yunho." the older man looks startled. "You...hi?"

"Hey," he giggles nervously. "Am I.... you have someone over? I can come tomorrow..." he's a babbling mess and Hongjoong laughs.

"No, come in. I just didn't expect you to come. Did you call?"

And no, Yunho didn't. He didn't even want to. His plan was to ignore Hongjoong's existence while trying to get into Seonghwa's pants but that backfired when he was suddenly standing in front of Hongjoong's house. "No...I was just walking by and thought I'd come to see you for a bit."

Hongjoong smiles, his teeth too straight for Yunho's liking and he suddenly remembers having those exact teeth grazing his skin few nights ago. He enters the house and steps out of his shoes. He can't stop staring at Hongjoong's tiny body, barely covered by the see-through floral shirt. He can see his thighs like this and when Hongjoong moves, he can still see the fading marks he left on his inner thighs.

"Do you want anything? Coffee? Tea?"

Yunho is still gaping at him, his brain giving up. Hongjoong confuses him without doing anything, his mere existence making Yunho feel dizzy. He wants to be close to him, closer, as close as he can get, and his body moves on his own because before he realizes what he's doing, he's in Hongjoong's personal space, hand placed on Hongjoong's hip. There's this fruity scent again, addictive. Hongjoong is looking at him with his eyes wide, lips parted and it's obvious that he's holding back. Because Yunho rejected him. Because Yunho said he was in love with someone else. Because Yunho loves Seonghwa and not him.

But Yunho also can't wait any longer. Without hesitation, he leans down just as Hongjoong leans up, his fingers curling against Yunho's nape and then they're kissing and to Yunho it feels like a the first sip of water after days in the dessert. Freeing but addicting at the same time.

He doesn't come home that night either.

****

"Are you going to even introduce me to your boyfriend?" Seonghwa asks while playing with Yunho's hair as the younger lies in his lap. It's their movie night, something Yunho would never miss, except he almost did because he was too busy sucking the living light out of Hongjoong in the back of the older man's car.

"He's not my boyfriend, hyung. I told you." What he _didn't_ tell him though is that Hongjoong is actually his soulmate. "We're just friends."

"Sure," Seonghwa laughs and pats Yunho's cheek affectionately. "I am your friend and you don't sleep with me." _I want to though. And you know damn well I do._

Yunho forces himself to smile. "Aw, hyung, if you want to, all you had to do was ask!" Seonghwa laughs and pats him again, though this time it felt more like a slap. Yunho's still into it.

"If you were my soulmate, I would already have my hands down your pants." And Yunho really hates this. Seonghwa told him few times that he found him attractive but because fate had had different plans for they, they were better off as friends. Except they're not. Yunho couldn't care less about fate. He's stupidly in love with Seonghwa and this is super not fair. To either of them.

"You know, we could try it anyway. Dating, I mean. C'mon, hyung, you know we would be good for each other, to each other. No one knows me like you do and you know I like you." Seonghwa looks down at him, his palm still against Yunho's cheek, warm and soothing. He caresses the skin of Yunho's cheek and traces his lips with the tip of his finger.

"And you would want me? Even though I am not your soulmate?"

"I feel like you are, anyway, matching marks or not. I love you, hyung." he props up on his elbows and pulls Seonghwa into a kiss. And he's wanted this for ages, for literal years, yet it still doesn't feels as good as he hoped it would. Seonghwa's lips are soft and he kisses Yunho like he means it, but something is off.

Yunho doesn't think about it and just kisses his hyung harder.

He ignores Hongjoong's text and calls because he's a coward and doesn't have the heart to tell Hongjoong that they can't be seeing each other anymore. He doesn't want to see Hongjoong's disappointed face and is also scared of his own reaction. But they weren't a thing. They weren't dating and they were barely friends. He doesn't owe him any explanation, right?

He's happy now, he has Seonghwa, they're finally dating and he has what he has wanted for so long. Everything is just perfect, isn't it? Fate can suck it, he chose his own path, his partner and that's better than being with Hongjoong, no matter how good that felt.

****

Eventually, the texts stop coming and the calls stop too. Yunho still hasn't opened not even one of them and now, when they stopped, is even more scared to look. But something inside of him just screams at him to look, to see, to know.

Seonghwa is in the shower and he lies down on his bed and unlocks his phone. Finally, he scrolls up at the top of all the unread messages.

 **Hongjoong hyung**  
_3:30 pm:_ _hey, could we meet up at eight instead of five? gotta run some errands._ ****  
  
_8:10 pm:_ _are you running late?  
_

_9:47 pm:_ _Hey is everything okay? I'm worried  
_

_11:03 pm:_ _Yunho?  
_

_02:56 am:_ _Please let me know you're okay, I'm worried, you don't even pick up your phone  
_

Yunho feels like an ass reading those. He recieved few similiar messages over the next few days, and then he gets to the last one, from three days ago.

**Hongjoong hyung** **  
** _2:13 am_ **:** _Yeah I get it now. You and your boyfriend are suddenly all good so you would feel weird cheating on him, which you've been doing for the past month. And you obviously don't give a damn about this whole soulmate thing so you think that you don't even have to tell me that you don't want to see me anymore. Well let me tell you one thing - It doesn't matter that you don't care, I do. You were playing with my feelings since day one, when you showed me your mark. You didn't have to, I wouldn't notice, and then we would never see each other again. But no, you did, told me you don't want me and then kept coming to my door like a stray cat to fuck and then leave home to your boyfriend who you just love so much that you don't mind cheating on him. I'm done with this. I don't care anymore either. I don't wanna see you again._

Something in Yunho's chest tightens. Might be his heart, his lungs, his ribs or maybe everything at once. His throat is suddenly dry and his head is spinning.

No, this doesn't feel right. No, he doesn't want that to happen.

He tries to call him but the call ends immediately, his number must have been blocked. He groans in frustration. No. No.

"Baby?" Seonghwa comes out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel. He looks at Yunho, confused, when the younger starts putting clothes on. "Going somewhere?"

"Hyung," he stops everything for a second, then looks up at Seonghwa's beautiful face that suddenly doesn't make his chest as tight anymore. "I have to go." Surprisingly, the shorter of the two doesn't look worried, not even surprised, he's _smiling._

"Go get your man."

"Hyung?"

"Come on, baby, you said it yourself. No one knows you like I do. Go get him, silly."

Yunho quickly presses a kiss to Seonghwa's lips as he grabs his car keys, almost running out of the apartment.

Hongjoong is not home. At least it doesn't look like he is. Not a single light on, all the blinds are shut, the house is quiet from the outside and Yunho knows he'd hear if the TV was on. He rings the bell, knocks on the door, nothing.

Is this what it's supposed to feel like? Losing your soulmate?

He had everything he wanted with Seonghwa, yet something was obviously missing. No matter how much and how often he told himself that he doesn't care about fate and that destiny is just a bunch of nonsense, the moment he realized that his soulmate hates him, he world fell apart. There's this big Hongjoong shaped hole in his chest that can't be filled with anything but his destined one's touch, voice, scent.

He slumps down on the steps and sighs, face hidden behind his palms. What is he supposed to do now? He can't go back home and expect Seonghwa to welcome him with open arms, and he doesn't even want him to. But god knows where Hongjoong is and he's desperate.

"I told you I didn't want to see you." He would recognize that voice anywhere. Yunho looks up and can't help but smile when he sees Hongjoong's face. He's still as gorgeous as he remembers him, even with the ugly dark circles under his pretty eyes.

"Hyung!"

"I'm no hyung for you, get out." There's so much pain behind those words and when Yunho closes his eyes he can almost see Hongjoong crying himself to sleep in his bed that is too big for him alone.

"I messed up, I know, but please, please, just listen to me." He makes two big steps and he's standing right before him, not sure what to do with his hands. He wants to touch Hongjoong, hold his hand, hug him, anything.

"Get out, I'm gonna call the cops if you want, no one wants you here."

"Listen to me, Hongjoong hyung, please. I know I messed up, okay? Please, I miss you, don't cut me off like this." he reaches out, tries to touch Hongjoong's arm but the older man steps away, his big eyes watering. "Who do you even think you are? You think you can play with me like that, break my fucking heart, use me like your personal fuck toy and then leave me without a fucking word and yet still expect me to welcome you back with open arms when you decide you miss me?" he punches him in the chest with his small fist, but it's weak and almost defeated. "Do you really think you can just expect me to wait for you to realize you can't run away from this whole soulmate thing? Well let me tell you something, Yunho, soulmate or not, I hate you. I hate you so, so damn much right now."

And Yunho isn't surprised, he's not surprised at all, because he deserves this, he deserves worse than this.

"I'll do anything you want me to, hyung, I swear, I'm serious about this, about us."

Hongjoong chuckles humorlessly. "I don't care." and walks right past him. The sound of the front door shutting in sync with his heart shattering.

**Author's Note:**

> let's chat on [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/_candystyx_) !


End file.
